


Hidden World

by GreenEyedFan



Series: Hidden World [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10935231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenEyedFan/pseuds/GreenEyedFan
Summary: Leto is a simple girl with a simple life, that is until she discovers a very strange book that is fatefully tied to her. Join her on a journey to discover the mysteries that lie in the pages of the book, and the pages of her life!





	1. The Book

"I am a Phoenix. Burn me and I shall return, rising from the ashes."

 

Leto studied the words on the first page of the book closely as she walked down the damp street, heading towards her small apartment. Lights flickering to life on the edges of the streets to fight off the darkness of the night. She hadn't intended to buy it, but when a book burns a symbol into your skin when you pick it up, 20 bucks isn't hard to part with. Leto ran her fingers along the leather bound spine, making note of slight nicks that confirm it's age. The book was rather normal looking at a first glance. The book is bound in leather that had been stained a beautiful shade of maroon, along the spine there are, what Leto assumed to be, hand etched markings that look like elegant black flames. It was the large symbol on the front that had caught her attention in the first place, a golden triangle with a "V" on the top. For some reason, when she saw that symbol her mind went blank and the next thing she knew, the book was in her hand and that symbol had been painfully seared onto her forearm. 

She didn't understand what was happening.

"How the fuck does a book burn me?" She thought to herself as she walked home with the book in hand.

When it had happened she nearly had a heart attack. However, she did succeed in knocking over a cart full of books. Leto's brain just couldn't process what was happening. A book had burned her. And on top of that she had bought it! Any other person would have ran screaming. Leto, on the other hand, was too freaked out to leave without the book. She wanted to find out why this had happened. No, she wanted to find out what had happened. 

 

Leto's mind was still reeling as she walked into her apartment, tossing her keys and purse onto the dining room table. Her apartment wasn't huge, it was a simple one-bedroom place with the living room and kitchen just inside the door. The bedroom and bathroom were in the back down a short hallway. She laid the book on the kitchen counter as she made a cup of tea, preparing to try to figure out what the hell this book was. After her tea had been made she got comfortable on the couch and opened the book once more. Leto's young grey cat, Osobyy, joined her, snuggling into the warm blanket she had draped over her lap. The digital clock on the side table read "8:00 pm" which, Leto decided, would give her about an hour to figure out this book before she had to go to bed. One of the down sides of her book addiction was the prices that came along with them, meaning she worked a lot of long shifts at the local diner. After taking a sip of her tea, Leto didn't want to wait any longer.

"Well Os," she sighed as she glanced at her burned forearm, "it's now or never."

 

The first page inside of the book are what held those mysterious words. Hand written in black ink in the most beautiful penmanship Leto had ever seen. The pages of the book were worn and bent at the corners, all were yellowed with age. She flipped to the next page, the left side was blank. The right side held the symbol that was on the cover and on her burnt skin. Only this one was in black ink, instead of the golden color of the one on the front. Leto let out a sigh of frustration as she flipped the page again.

"Shit.." she muttered, "of course it's in some weird language."

Leto closed the book and set it on the coffee table.

Well Os," Leto huffed as she rose from the couch with Osobyy in her arms, "I guess we're not finding out about this damn symbol any time soon... Unless you know any weird languages?" Leto ran her hand through her hair then rubbed her eye and let out a chuckle, "Here I am thinking this book situation is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, and here I am, talking to my cat. I really need a social life Os..."

Osobyy simply let out a meow asking to be let down. Leto obliged as she slid into bed, setting her alarm on her phone for 5 AM. She didn't love her job, but it paid the bills and kept food on the table and supplied Leto with all the books she needed Leto let out a long sigh as she turned off the lights and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the coming day. 

 

 

The next morning Leto awoke to the sound of a her blasting alarm. With a groan, she rolled over, pushing Osobyy off of the bed. She grabbed her phone and silenced the alarm. The time read 5:01 AM.

"Well, time to get the day started" she thought to herself.

Leto got up and groggily made her way to the bathroom. She got in the shower and washed her long black hair, chuckling when the red dye from the ends bled into the running water. Her color was natural, however she added the red at the ends to accent the charcoal black. She quickly finished her routine: shave, wash her face, brush her teeth, straighten her hair, and lastly she applied a decent amount of makeup. Satisfied with the way her dark brown eye shadow offset her pale skin and glowing green eyes, she went to her closet to pick out her outfit for the day. As a waitress, she had to wear an apron and nonslip shoes, however she was allowed to wear whatever she wanted underneath as long as it was appropriate for the public. Leto settled on plain white t-shirt with long sleeves to hide her burn and light blue jeans that flared at the ends. She liked to keep it as casual as possible for work. Leto headed out into the kitchen to feed Osobyy his breakfast. After she put the food in his bowl, she slipped on her plain black work shoes and prepared to leave for the diner.

As she grabbed her keys and purse she called over to Osobyy, "Be good Os! I'll be back later! Love you!"

And with that, Leto walked out into the hallway and locked the door behind her. Since the diner was only 15 minutes away, she always walked to work. She especially enjoyed the walk on days like today, when the spring air smells like rain and flowers. Not too hot and not too cold was just the way Leto liked it. This made today's walk to work an enjoyable one that put her in a cheery mood. 

 

Midway through her shift Leto decided it would be a good time to take her break. It was 3:30, after the lunch rush had ended so the diner wasn't too busy. Leto went into the break room at the back of the kitchen to take some time to have lunch for herself. Leto's coworker, Hera, had decided to take her lunch break as well.

As Hera sat down, she started a conversation, "Hey, Leto! Some of the other servers and I are heading over to that new club Poncho's at 8, you wanna tag along?"

Even though they were little more than acquaintances, Hera had always tried to be as friendly and inclusive as possible to Leto when it came to social outings. Leto wasn't shocked by this gesture, Hera was one of the few people in her life who picked up on the fact that she didn't get out much.

"I don't think so, sorry Hera, I.." Leto started, though before she could finish Hera interrupted, "Come on Leto, no lame excuses!" She whined, "You never leave your apartment! You need to get out more! Look, at least come for a few hours, if you don't like the club then you can go home."

Leto looked at Hera with a slight look of shock, it wasn't often that Hera got so pushy. Leto rolled her shoulders in defeat, "Well I guess a few hours won't kill me. See you at 8?"

Satisfied with her victory, Hera excitedly hugged Leto and let out a small squeal, "I promise that you'll have an amazing night! It will definitely beat staying home and reading like you always do! You won't regret it!"

With that, Hera dug into her lunch as Leto let out a giggle and gathered up her garbage. With a slight pep in her step from the walk to work and slight excitement for the coming evening, Leto went back to work. For once, she couldn't wait until she got off at 6. Even though she always stayed at home, she enjoyed getting out every once in a while to have a few drinks.

"Maybe," Leto thought to herself as she wiped down a newly empty table, "tonight won't be so bad."

 

Leto checked the mirror one last time before heading out. She wore a green sleeveless, high cut tank top with a black long sleeve shirt on top, to hide her burn mark, that hung off her shoulders. She had on a pair of tight yet elastic black pants with black thigh high boots with a small heal. She wore a gold necklace that hung down to the center of her chest, at the end there was a circular setting with a jade stone inside of a small golden cage. Leto's hair was allowed to flow freely with a slight curl at the ends. Her makeup had been done to make her eyes pop, a thick black smokey eye with a hint of purple at the outer corner. With her last look she threw on a black bomber jacket to combat the evening chill. Satisfied with the way she looked, she went into the small kitchen to feed Osobyy his dinner before she left. With her friend fed, she grabbed her keys and slung her purse around her body and left her apartment, locking her door behind her. She began the short walk to the new club a few streets over, most places in town were less than an hour walk from her apartment. She knew she had arrived when she saw the large neon marquee above the door with "Poncho's" spelled out with red lighting. When she failed at looking for Hera in the crowd of people outside, she decided to head inside to see if she was there. Once she received the "X" stamp on her hand marking that she was over 18, she made her way to the bar and ordered a plain beer to start out. At 19, she still got a tiny rush of excitement every time a bartender asked for her ID. After she got her beer, she scanned the building, keeping an eye out for Hera. After a few minutes, Leto spotted her a few feet away on the dance floor. Hera came prancing over to her after she called her name. They both decided to grab a seat at a booth at the back of the bar. After a half hour with 5 shots each in their system, they decided to go dance. They both danced for quite a while until Leto decided to go sit back down.

"It turns out that in a small bar with at least a hundred people, it gets really hot." Leto thought to herself as she rolled up her sleeves and made her way to the booth.

When she sat down she thought it would be a good idea to order a piece of pizza, the one food the bar offered, to settle the alcohol in her body.

When the waitress came back with her food, Leto was confused, "Here's your pizza ma'am. Also, a guy at the bar sent this for you" she said as she handed Leto a slice of pizza and a drink. "It's a shot of fireball, from..." the waitress trailed off as she turned towards the bar to point out the man who sent the drink. "Huh..I guess he left." She continued after a short pause.

"Uh thanks anyway." Leto replied politely.

On the inside she was completely weirded out. It was rare that she came to bars and even rarer that strange men sent her drinks. After pondering to herself for a minute or two, she decided that she'd had enough excitement for one night. Leto made her way to Hera who was still on the dance floor to let her know that she was leaving. Since she had been there almost 4 hours, Hera let her go in peace.

"See-ya on Wednesday!" Leto called behind her as she picked up her bag and pizza, wanting to eat it on the way home.

"Tonight was weird but not so weird that I'm not gonna eat my pizza." She thought to herself as she chuckled.

She left the drink since she didn't know or trust who sent it. Since she was slightly drunk, the walk back to her apartment took Leto a little bit longer than normal. Soon enough though, she was back at her apartment building. She shakily made her way up the stairs while digging her keys out of her purse. Finally finding them as she approached her door, she reached to unlock it. As she pushed her door open she felt a strong hand make it's way to the middle of her back and push her inside. She let out a small shriek as she stumbled into her apartment. Turning around she saw a tall figure in a hooded cloak closing the door behind them. She turned back around to run to the kitchen to grab a knife when she felt a sharp pain in her head and saw her vision go blurry before finally succumbing to the darkness of sleep.


	2. Kuro Shi Hato

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Leto at her apartment? Who attacked her?   
> Leto's adventure is just taking off as the pieces of the puzzle are coming into play.

When Leto awoke, it was with a horrible, throbbing headache. Slowly raising her head she realized she was sitting in a chair from her dining room, but she was in the living room. Confused, she started to stand, only she was confined by tight ropes around her wrists and ankles. Her arms were strapped to the arms of the chair and her legs were tied to the legs of the chair. Now even more confused, and slightly panicked, she remembered the events of the previous night.

I was walking home from the bar...I made it home and was walking in...and...

"OH SHIT" Leto said slightly loud.

Now she really started to panic. She started pulling her wrists trying to free herself when she heard a deep chuckle coming from behind her. She couldn't see him but she could hear whoever had knocked her out rise from the couch. She heard his slow footsteps make their way around her left side, she guessed about 10 feet from her. She hadn't learned a lot from her dad, but what she did know from him, was how to survive. She knew that the most important thing to do in this situation was to remain as calm as possible and comply. Knowing this, she raised her eyebrow at the mysterious man when he kept his back to her as he reached the dining room table about 20 feet in front of her.

As he reached nonchalantly for an apple from the bowl on the table, he uttered his first words to her with a tenor voice, "Finally you're awake. I guess I hit you harder than I thought." He said the last bit with a soft laugh.

He still had his cape on so Leto could only see a broad outline of him. Knowing she would need to see his face to report it to the police, she copied the sass in his voice as she called to him.

"Hey, you know it's rude to turn your back on a girl you've just tied up.

Leto couldn't see it, but her statement brought a sly smile to the mans face. The man quickly regained his composure.

"I have questions for you. Will you answer peacefully or do we have to do this the hard way?" He asked flatly.

Intimidated by the tone in his voice, Leto thought it would be best to drop the sass. She needed to think of a way to find out what he wanted while not aggravating him. Leto chose a simple reply to his question.

"If I answer your questions will you let me go?" Leto asked timidly.

Leto became extremely nervous when he remained with his back to her. Instead of replying to her question, he bit into the red apple he had been holding. Waiting a few seconds to see if he might decide to answer, Leto tried her best to internalize her panic. She was succeeding for the most part, except she was visibly shaking. When no answer came, she asked another question. Only this time her tone was softer and laced with fear.

"If you won't answer that question, will you at least tell me your name?"

With that, he set the apple down and stood still for a few moments. Debating on whether or not to reveal his identity, Leto guessed. After a few more moments, he pulled back his hood and turned around. As he did so, he revealed his identity to Leto.

"My name is Kuro." He said flatly

"Kuro..." Leto repeated timidly. 

Kuro was tall, at least six feet based on Leto's comparison of him and her ceiling height. He had shaggy black hair that was messily spiked up. Even from the dim lighting in her apartment Leto could make out his deep, yet bright, chestnut brown eyes. He wore a tight purple long sleeve shirt with a black jacket over it and black fitted pants that still allowed for movement. He had on a pair of black combat boots. Lastly, he sported a long black cape. He spoke with a low voice, but not too low. It was like he once had a soft voice but with time it had become slightly ragged, only he looked to be about Leto's age, maybe a few years older.

"Ya seen enough?" Kuro's voice snapped Leto from her long gaze.

"Huh?" Leto said, barely audible. 

"Hmph," Kuro grunted with disapproval. "your mark, where'd you get it?"

"My what..?" Leto trailed off, momentarily forgetting the events of the previous morning. "Wait, you mean my arm?" She continued.

"What else would I mean?" He shot back with annoyance.

"Wait... so you know what this is?!" Leto asked with a slight nod towards her arm.

"You mean you don't know? WELL WHO GAVE YOU THE DAMN BOOK?!" Kuro yelled the last part, bewildered.

"The book?" Leto questioned, he voice full of confusion, "you mean the one I bought at that bookstore yesterday? The one that burned this weird thing into my arm? You know what it is?" Leto's voice pulled up with the last question, hoping Kuro could give her the answers she wanted.

"Well this is an issue.." Kuro trailed off, "I don't understand how this could have happened." Kuro stopped for a moment to think. He started to pace the room back and forth with his hands intertwined behind his head.

After a few moments Leto piped up, "Does this mean you're not going to hurt me?" She asked softly. 

"Tsch, of course I'm not going to hurt you, do I look like some kind of animal?" Kuro chuffed back at her.

Leto let out a breath of relief. "Then would you mind telling my why you stalked me and tied me up in my own home?" Leto asked with a bit of force. 

"I'll be able to explain later. I think I need to take you to Athair, he might know what to do." Kuro seemed to be speaking to no one when he said the last part. 

"Wait. Who's Athair? Where are you gonna take me?" Leto started to panic again.

When Kuro took a few steps toward Leto he suddenly hissed in pain. 

"OW SHIT!" He looked down to see Osobyy with his teeth clamped around his leg. Kuro shook him off and laughed as he continued to Leto. 

"Quite a cat you have there shorty. Wanna take him with you?" Kuro asked as he started to untie Leto.

"What? You're letting me go?" Leto asked, confused.

"No I'm taking you with me. Now pack a bag. Only bring your essentials and a few changes of clothes." Kuro ordered.

"What's to stop me from running as soon as we get outside?" Leto asked, genuinely curious. 

She regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth. As she finished her sentence, seemingly out of nowhere, Kuro pulled out a small blade with a large handle. As the blade reached the front of Kuro it extended out into a full length sword.

"This is only my secondary weapon," Kuro stated teasingly. As if he wanted to show Leto just what he was capable of. "I would prefer to not use it on you since I'm not your enemy, however if you run you will give me no choice." Kuro stated with pure amusement.

"I'll be ready in five minutes." Leto stated, absolutely terrified of what would happen if she were to cross this mysterious man.


	3. Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuro and Leto make camp on their way to finish Kuro's original job.

It seemed as if they had been walking for hours. Based on where the sun was in the sky, it had been. When they left Leto's apartment it was late morning, she knew by the slight chill to the air. Now, as they reached the outskirts of the towns limits, the sun was starting to dip behind the tree line that surrounded Arc City.

"Will you please tell me where we're going?" Leto whined, sensing a calmness between the two.

"We're finishing my job that you so rudely interrupted." Kuro huffed.

"Wait? I interrupted?! As I recall you're the one who tied me up in my own home. You're the one who has now kidnapped me and my cat!" Leto protested. 

Kuro glanced back and glared at Leto. "We're finishing my job and that's that" he growled angrily. "Also, you came willingly. Take note of the lack of restraints...or do I need to add those?" he added under his breath. 

Taken aback, Leto paused before replying, deciding to change the subject. "What kind of job are you doing? What do you have to do?" Leto questioned, hoping to not piss him off any further. 

"Find this man." he said as he held up a paper he withdrew from inside his cloak, "And take back something valuable that belongs to my boss." he replied, still agitated. 

"So you're a kind of bounty hunter?" Leto asked as she examined the paper. It had a picture of a man that looked to be in his late 30's. He also looked like he had neither a proper nights sleep nor a shower in weeks. The only other information the paper had on the man was his name: Kota Strauss. 

"Am I going to need to gag you too?" Kuro questioned to no one in particular. "But to answer your question, in a sense, sure, I guess." After a few moments he continued, "Let's stop here for the night. We have a few more miles to walk in the morning then we will be at the guys hideout. Go find some firewood while I make camp." he explained. 

After doing nothing but pissing him off all day, Leto thought it was best to just do what he said. Dropping her bags and letting Osobyy off of her shoulder, the two sauntered off into the woods along the path they had been traveling on. Camp was to be set up between the woods and the path, in a clearing about 30 feet wide. 

10 minutes in the woods after hours of walking yielded Leto nothing but sore feet and a very hungry cat. All the wood in the area seemed to be wet or still alive, neither of which would burn very well. However, Leto really didn't want to return to camp empty handed. Actually, she didn't want to return to Kuro empty handed, remembering his short temper. Soldiering on, Leto and Osobyy headed into a nearby clearing, about 100 feet from camp. Here she was able to find a surprising amount of good firewood. 

"Man Os, at least this is somewhat relaxing after how horrible the past two days have been. I mean, how often is it that a man breaks into your house and basically kidnaps you? Along with me not knowing whats happening to me. I think the only reason why I haven't had a freak out yet is because I can't even process what's going on. At this point its like i don't even have control of my life anymore... " Leto said aloud, her voice falling down at the last part. He meowed in return, however she knew it was because he was very hungry. 

"It's okay boy, I have your food in my bag back at camp." Leto consoled. 

After another 15 minutes of collecting two arms full of wood, Leto swung Osobyy onto her shoulders, picked up the wood and started to make her way back to camp. 

When she returned a short time later, she was more than happy to see a tent set up and Kuro preparing the spot for the fire. "Hey, do you think this is enough wood?" Leto asked casually as she exited the woods.

"That should be fine." Kuro replied. 

As Leto got closer to camp she realized something. "Hey Kuro ... are we supposed to be sharing a tent tonight?" she asked hesitantly. 

"No" he said flatly, "you're taking the tent, i'm using my extra sleeping bag and taking a spot by the fire. I only travel with one single person tent. I don't usually use it so this is the best we have for the night." he finished. 

"Uh.. okay, that's okay." Leto responded awkwardly. A part of her wanted to offer the tent to him since she was clearly a imposition. Although another part of her wanted to avoid any confrontation between them. She decided to let it be and give Osobyy his food. Her stomach growled at the thought of food. 

Kuro had the fire going by nightfall, a fact that certainly made Leto happy. Excited for food, she pulled the small bit of food from her bag that she packed for her and Osobyy. She emptied Osobyy's food onto a piece of bark for him to eat off of, which he was more than happy to do. After Os started to dig into his food, Leto started on her pre-made sandwich from the grocery store. Since she worked so much, she preferred the food she didn't have to prepare. Glancing over at Kuro, she noticed he wasn't eating anything. 

"Hey, you want a sandwich?" she offered hesitantly. 

"No. I never eat the night before a job" he stated. 

Leaving it at that, Leto ate in silence for the rest of the meal. Even though she was curious about his reasoning, she was too tired to get into it with Kuro. Kuro, now in his sleeping bag across from her, had his back to her. Assuming he was already asleep, without a word she picked up Osobyy who was very happy by the fire, enjoying the heat, to head to bed. However, Osobyy jumped out of her arms, wanting to stay by the fire. 

"Hmpf." Leto huffed, "you get a fire and become a spoiled cat. Fine, stay out here. You'll know where ill be." She said quietly to the tired cat, who was now asleep by the fire. 

With a sigh Leto went into the tent to change out of the clothes she still had on from the club then go to sleep, not particularly excited for the next morning. She was more suspicious than anything. With a final glance at Kuro, who hadn't even lifted a brow at her movements, she closed her eyes and let the stress of the past two days quickly pull her into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sort of a filler chapter.. however chapter 4 is where things start to get interesting! It will be longer as well! Also I know I said this chapter was supposed to go up like two weeks ago but life happens haha, sorry! I'm trying my best!


	4. Cabin in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leto and Kuro stop to finish his original job before taking Leto back to where he works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last line isn't a type, I swear (;

"Leto...Leto! Come on, it's time to wake up." Kuro pestered. 

"Huh..." Leto said groggily. Leto looked to where Kuro was still standing, "Kuro, please tell me i'm hallucinating and that its not actually still dark outside."

Kuro stayed silent, waiting at the entrance to the tent with a stern look plastered on his face. 

"Really?" Leto asked, annoyance filling her voice. "Fine i'm up. I just gonna change and i'm good." Leto stood up and grabbed her only bag, a large black duffel, one she's had for years. 

"Five minutes to pack up camp." Kuro stated before turning to go tear down the temporary camp the two had fashioned the previous night. 

"Hey you traitor, you finally decided to weasel your way in with me, huh?" Leto cooed to Osobyy who was still asleep at the foot of the sleeping bag that Kuro had lent her. 

Left to herself, Leto started to get ready for the day ahead of her. A day of which she could predict nothing, completely different from her day-to-day life. Leto lived a life of routine and normalcy. Meandering in the woods with a strange (and scary) man, her cat, a mysterious book and a burn, which had finally begun to heal, was incredibly out of the realm of normalcy for her. Realizing this made her stomach turn. Leto really just wanted to go home. 

"Damn it, Leto. You cant think like that." Leto reminded herself in her head. "Dad taught you better than this" she continued. Leto took a deep breath as she finished getting dressed by slipping on a plain black tank top. Packing up the few belongings she had, Leto turned to tents opening and paused. She took another deep breath, "'with steel in your spine'" she reminded herself softly. Leto knew she had to be strong if she wanted to return to her normal life, after all, her dad taught her exactly how to do so.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are we almost there? I thought our camp was close?" Leto pestered. "We've been walking for ages."

"Shut up were almost there." Kuro retorted coldly.

A few minutes later they strayed off the path and moved towards the tree line. About a minute into the trees Kuro held up his hand, motioning for Leto to stop, "We're here." he stated. 

"Okay, what's the plan?" Leto asked nervously. She had absolutely no idea what they were going to do. It's not like she had ever done anything like this ever before. Breaking into some criminals house to steal something that they had stolen from her kidnappers boss? "Yeah, a completely normal day" she thought to herself. 

"The plan is for you to stay here and be quiet while I go do my job." Kuro replied. 

"What? You're dragging me along so why can't I help?" she complained. Leto didn't know why she said that. It's not like she wants to actively put herself in danger. She had no idea what Kuro was actually going to do. Even if he was doing this for a good reason, she would probably only get in his way. 

"Where do I start? You don't have a weapon. I'm guessing you haven't been trained for your entire life in hand-to-hand combat. From our first encounter i'm very certain you're new to my world. And last but not least, I don't need you getting in my way." Kuro spouted with annoyance. 

"Fine, I can't argue with that. Just don't... you know.. die. Cause I have no idea where we are." Leto said sheepishly. 

Kuro simply smirked and turned to head out of the treeline and towards the cabin. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leto let out a laugh as she watched Osobyy chase the leaves that were falling from the tree she sat against. In spite of everything that had happened within the past three days, Leto couldn't have been more relaxed. Her back rested against an enormous oak tree, the falling leaves were beautiful. Ranging from the orange hue similar to the sunset over an ocean, to the deep reds that seemed like natures own unique color. 

The sky was nearly void of any clouds, only a few stained the sky. Their shape reminded Leto of the wings of a bird. The lush green grass near where she sat faded into dirt where the light was blocked by the canopy up above. For what felt like mere moments, Leto sat and watched as her companion stalked and playfully assaulted nature. She nearly dozed off until the sound of a wolf in the distance snapped her back to reality. After a moment, Leto remembered where she was, and why. With her peaceful mood now ruined, she checked the watch Kuro had given her to see just how long he had been gone for. The watch read 12:00 pm, Kuro had been "working" for almost 3 hours now. 

"You think we should go after him Os?" Leto asked, more to herself than her cat, "Kuro said it would only take 2 hours. Max. I mean, I know he told us to stay here but what if he's in trouble? I don't know how to get home from here, I don't know where the hell he was taking us, I don't have a map and to top it off were in the middle of nowhere!" she continued with a hint of fear in her voice. 

Leto paused for a few moments, thinking about what to do next, as Osobyy trotted over and laid down next to her.

"Hey.. Os, Kuro really doesn't mean anything to us, does he? I mean what's from stopping us from going to that cabin and asking for directions?" Leto propositioned to herself. "Kuro said that they're criminals but isn't he technically one as well since he kidnapped us? We can just go up and ask for directions like we're lost, cause let's face it, without Kuro, that's exactly what we are." 

After yet another few minutes of deliberation, Leto decided that her plan was the best option.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Leto more than a half an hour to find her way to the cabin. She emerged out of the treeline to see a small two story log house. It was run down and the plants surrounding it were vastly overgrown. Large trees lined a path leading from the door to another section of the treeline. Lights were on inside, and based on the size she didn't expect there to be more than 3 or 4 people inside. 

Tentatively, Leto approached the cabin. She had left Osobyy and all the bags back where Kuro had left them, except for her backpack which she had slung over her left shoulder. She only brought the one bag to help sell her story. Her plan was to explain that she was traveling from one town to another to visit a relative, only she lost her map and wasn't familiar with the land. Even though she had a plan, she had never been more nervous. With everything that had happened, her best bet was to play it cool, stick to her story and find her way back home so she could go back to living her quiet life. 

When she got to the door she took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times, there was a doorbell but based on the state of the home, she doubted that it worked. After a few seconds a man came to the door, which he held half way shut. He was very large and very muscular. He was about the same height as Kuro but about twice his muscle mass. He had dark brown hair with a long, neatly trimmed beard to match. He wore a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans with boots. His sheer size made Leto much more nervous than she already was. 

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked in a voice that had to be nearly all bass. Leto swore she could feel it in her chest. The way it boomed reminded her of the music from the club she had been at a few nights previous. 

"Uh... hi sir, I uh... was wondering if I could get some directions to the next town. I..I lost my map a few miles back and i'm not familiar with the area." Leto said, making her voice sound as small as possible, which wasn't hard considering how scared she was at that moment. However, she fought to not let her fear show through.

"Yeah and what's a little lady like you doing out here all alone? Got any companions with ya?" He asked in a tone that made Leto incredibly uncomfortable. 

"I..I uh, was traveling to visit a relative but my map blew away in the wind. My brother is waiting for me back at the trail. He stayed back at camp while I look for someone who could help." Leto added that last part, hoping to confirm her safety if they thought she had someone waiting for her. 

The man stayed silent for a minute, seeming to size her up. At some point in the conversation the man decided Leto wasn't a threat and had let the door open about half way. Whether or not this was intentional, she didn't know. What she saw behind the door made Leto realize something horrible. Her plan had failed. 

In a side room Leto could make out the figure of Kuro, slumped over in a chair he had been tied to. Leto started to panic, so much that she was sure the fear was firing off of her in waves. The man could tell that she was starting to panic and realized that she knew who his prisoner was. 

"Oi, Roan! D! Come look at what we got!" The man bellowed with triumph.

"Wassup Blaine?" The shorter, skinny one asked, "Oooh who do we got here?" He continued with a creepy smile when he laid eyes on Leto. 

"I believe," Blaine said as he snatched Leto by the arm, "this is our friends 'rescue'!" he laughed as he said the last part. 

Leto struggled against his grasp but the two others grabbed her legs and Blaine had her arms. She screamed and struggled as hard as she could but no matter what she did she couldn't get free. She was just too small to do anything against three grown men. They brought her across the hall from the room Kuro was in and tied her to a chair opposite from him. Her wrists and legs were tied down painfully to the chair. She noticed that the chair had also been bolted to the floor. 

"Man, who are these people?" Leto thought to herself. 

"D, Blaine, give me a little alone time with the lady will ya? Go keep an eye on tall, dark and brooding." The two exchanged a look and left the room without a word.

Leto was more afraid than she'd ever been before. Her father had taught her how to handle herself, but he never taught her anything that would help her now. The man, who she realized was Roan, circled her a few times, deep in thought. It was a only a few minuted before he said anything, but those minutes felt like a lifetime. Eventually, Roan stopped in front of her and knelt down facing her, practically at eye level with only feet between them. 

"So, what's your name pretty lady?" Roan asked with a sinister smile.

"Rebekah." Leto choked out, sensing she shouldn't give her real name. 

"Rebekah." He repeated thoughtfully. "That's an awfully pretty name. Not a name I would associate with someone trying to rescue the one and only Kuro Shi Hato." Roan noted.

"I don't understand. I don't know who that is. I don't know who you are." Leto said, trying to convince them that she wasn't with Kuro. 

"Come one now sweetheart, don't play this game with me. How about you tell me why the old man wants the relic so bad. Or rather, why he doesn't want my boss to have it." He paused for a moment waiting for Leto respond. However, she was so confused and afraid than she couldn't find the right words to defend herself. 

"I really don't want to have to do this the hard way." He said menacingly. "It would be a shame for a pretty girl like you to be all covered in scars now wouldn't it?" He asked threateningly. 

Leto took a deep breath, trying to calm down and not let his scare tactics affect her. "Look, I really don't know what this relic thing is. I don't know who that man is. I was just trying to find my way home. I swear." She explained, in a last ditch effort to convince him she was a stranger. 

"Oh, so that's how this is gonna be, eh? Man I really didn't want to do this to you." He almost whispered as he stood up, pulling a small handle from his waist band. He pressed the small button that swung out a 5 inch serrated blade. 

Within seconds of him pulling the knife, he slammed it into Leto's leg, right above the knee. She let out a guttural high pitched scream. It was a pain like nothing she had ever felt before. After about 30 seconds of her screaming in pain, he quickly pulled the knife out and slammed it into the same spot on her other leg. Leto, again, let out screams of agony. Her vision was going white with pain. Her heart was racing and she was hyperventilating. Leto felt waves a heat course through her. She couldn't tell if it was because of the pain or the adrenaline. As Roan stood back watching her agony, she could feel her body becoming hotter and hotter. It wasn't painfully hot though. The heat reminded her of days when she would walk out of her cool apartment into the summer air. The heat hitting her like a truck, then subsiding and becoming increasingly peaceful and comfortable. Finally, Roan pulled the knife out of her leg, this time slowly. She was in so much pain her vision went completely white. The pain and loss of blood made Leto increasingly light headed, the knife coming out the second time sent her body over the edge and rendered her mind unconscious. The last thing she remembered was waves of the most intense heat she had ever felt rolling off of her. 

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For the following half hour, Leto was in and out of conscious. The first time she came to she saw that the room she was in was on fire and Roan was on the floor across the room, dead. The next time she came to she realized she was against the back wall of the room. Leto saw that the door to the room had been broken down. Three figures fought in the room, two with swords and one with a long staff. The one with the staff easily took out the smaller of the two. The next time he came to, the room was so filled with smoke she couldn't see anything and could barely breathe. 

"Stay with me Leto, I got you. Stay with me. You're safe now." is all she heard before she was out again. 

The next time she woke up, she was in a bed. Her eyes were assaulted with bright lights. She tried to sit up to see where she was but her body refused to move, it felt as if she'd been dropped off of a mountain. She was able to lift herself onto her elbows. She looked around and realized she was in some kind of infirmary. She tossed aside the white blanked that had been laid on her to see her legs wrapped in bandaged. The bandages were just visible below the oversize shirt she was wearing. When she realized that the shirt was all she was wearing, she threw the blanket back over her. 

Taking in more of her surroundings, she looked at the bed to her left to see Osobyy curled up against a pillow. "OS!" she exclaimed. The cat perked his head up and meowed, then laying his head back down. 

Leto chuckled and looked to the other side of the room. She saw Kuro standing in the corner, glad to see a familiar face, even if he wasn't a liked one, she smiled. 

"Leo, We've gotta talk." He said flatly.


End file.
